A 3-year retrospective descriptive study on all custody-related death cases at a Durban Medico-legal mortuary from January 1998 to December 2000 was undertaken. A total of 117 cases were reviewed. Among the findings, there were 16 (13.68%) police custody deaths, of which 7 (5.99%) were due to suicide by hanging. The authors suggest that prevention of custody-related deaths should be recognized as an area of concern & should be given greater priority by the governemnt & the South African Police Services. (22 refs)